John clark



(ModeL) v J. CLARK.

APPLE PARER, UORER, AND SLIOER.

Patented Nov. 1'5, 18181.

UNITE STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN CLARK, OF PONTIAC, MICHIGAN.

APPLE PARER, coaE AND SLICER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,456, dated November 15,1881,

Application filed July 27, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OIIN OLARK,0f Pontiac, in the county of Oakland and State of Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Apple- Paring Machines,of which the following is a specification.

The nature of this invention relates to certainnewand useful improvements in that class of machines especially designed for paring, coring, and slicing apples preparatory to drying; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and various eombi nations of the parts, all as more fully set forth. Figure lis a perspective view of my improved machine. Fig.2-is a cross-section on the line In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, A represents the bed-plate of my: machine, d esigned to be secured to any suitable bench.

BBw represent two standards rising from the bed \A. Through the upper end i of the standard B one end of the fork-shaft O is properly threaded, said shaft being threaded about one-half its length. The opposite end of this shaftO is properly journaled throughthe bevelpi nion D, the hollow hub E' of which is properly journaled in the upper end of l the standard B. Through this hollow hub, and near one end, is placedthe slip-key a, which is held in position by the spring-band b. The inner end of this slip-key engages with a key-seat, 0, cut in the face of the shaft G, the shaft being cut away at d 0 upon opposite sides of the keyseat, as shown, and for the purposes hereinafter described.

Frepresents another standard rising from the base A, and has journaled in its upper end the driving-wheel Gr, which meshes with bevelpinion D.

H is a plunger-rod which passes through the hollow shaft 0, which latter carries upon each end a fork, I. I

Projecting laterally from the standards B B, and upon opposite sides of the machine, are studs J and arms K, and as both ends of the machine are alike from this out in point of construction, I will describe but one end.

Throughthe inner end of the stud J is pivotally secured the downwardly-projecting end of the bar L, to the outer and upper end of which issecurcd the paring-knife M, of any suitable construction, a suitable spring, f, being employed to keep the paring-bar in its closed position when it rests against the arms K, which latter prevent the parin g-kn'ives from coming in contact with the forks in the operation of the machine.

To the outer ends of the base A are adjustably secured the Y-shaped standards N, in the upper ends of which are secured the slicingknivesO,which should be adj usted to stand upon the same leadas that of the screw-thread 'upon theshaft(),bntintheoppositedirection. These slicing-knives O are formed of strips of thin sheet metal, and are secured in their respective standards by compressing the outer ends of the standards by a suitable clamp when the knives are inserted and bolted or secured to place, and upon the removal of the clamp the expansion of the upper ends of the standards draws the knives tight, rendering themalmost rigid and inflexible, and each one of these knives isprovided witha coring-knife, P, formed by bending a portion of the knife 0 at rightangles to its body,'and in adjusting the knives such coring-knife should come on aliine with the axial center of the fork-shaft.

In practice an apple is placed upon the fork atone end of the machine, in doing'which the plunger is projected at the opposite end of the shaft. The driving-wheel is then rotated in the direction which in its rotation will cause the shaft and apple to travel toward the paring-knife' upon that end of the machine, comin g in contact with which, the knife follows the general contour of the apple, removing a thin paring therefrom, and as the shaft still advances with the apple it comes in contact with the slicing-knife and the coring-knife, rotating and advancing until the apple has been entirely pared, the core cut around by the coringknife, and the apple cut into screw shape by the slicing-knife, the shaft advancing until the slip-key a comes opposite the cut-away portion d in the key-seat, when the hollow hubof the bevel-pinion will continue to rotate without imparting movement to the shaft. At this point an apple is placed upon the fork at the opposite end of the machine, which drives the plunger through the shaft in contact with the apple upon the opposite end, forcing it off, and

the shaft, as before, this movement being somewhat essential in order that in the rapid working of the machine the shaft may not be turned orscrewed into the support or nut beyond a certain point.

While I have described my device as being provided with a hollow fork-shaft, I do not wish to confine myself to such construction, as it is evident that the machine would operate fully as well in its paring, slicing, and coring with a solid shaft, dispensing with the plunger, only necessitating the removal of the apple by hand after it has been operated'upon. I, however, design manufacturing them with a hollow shaft and provided with a plunger, as by their em ploymcnt I am enabled to do cleaner work than where the apple has to be removed by hand.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In an apple-paring machine, a rotating fork-shaft carrying a fork at each end and adapted to reciprocate in suitable bearings, substantially as described.

2. In an apple-paringmachine and in combination with a hollow rotating shaft carrying a fork upon each end, the plunger I, r'ecipro-.

eating and extending entirely through said shaft, and provided at each end with a head working within the forks, as and for the purpose specified.

3.In an apple-paring machine, a rotating shaft carrying a fork at each end and adapted to reciprocate in suitable bearings and to reverse its rotary movement with each reciprocation, substantially as aud for the purpose specified.

4. In an apple-paring machine, and in con1- bination with a rotating and reciprocating hollow fork-shaft, the plunger H, sliding within said fork-shaft, and adapted. to be operated by the act of placing an apple on the fork-shaft, substantially as described.

5. In an apple-parin g machine provided with an apple-holder having a rotary and'a forward motion, as described, the bifurcated standard N, in combination with the thin sheet-metal knife 0, having its ends securely bolted to the standard while the two arms of said standard are pressed together, whereby the knife is tightly strained in the standard when the pressure is removed, substantially as specified.

6. In an apple-paring machine constructed substantially as described, and in combination with the fork-shaft 0 thereof, provided with a key-seat, c, and cut-away portions 01 e,'the bevelpinion D, provided with a hollow hub, E, and a slip-key, a, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. In an apple-paring machine, the shaft), having a fork at each end,'and provided with a screw-thread, C, a key-seat, c, and cut-away portions 61 e, in-combination with the threaded bearing E, the hub E, provided with theslippin a, the knives 0 O, and suitable devicesfor rotating thesh aft 0, substantially as described. c,

8. In an apple-paring machine, the-rotating and reciprocating shaft (3, having-a screwthread at one end, and provided with akeyseat, 0, and-cutaway portions d e, in combination with the hub E, the pin a, sliding in a hole in said hub, and the spring-band-b, for

holding the pin toward the shaft, as and for the purpose specified.

. JOHN CLARK. Witnesses:

E. SoULLY, H. SPRAGUE. 

